Careful what you wish for...

[wordinista]

I'm usually very, very, very careful when I ask for a critique of my original work.  I make sure I ask for it when I'm relatively confident in its quality, and when I'm ready to hear bad things about it.  For instance, if I've revised one chapter -- no joke -- eight times, rewriting it over again at least once in the process, I'm not gonna send it out for a critique immediately, because I know I'm not mentally or emotionally ready to hear someone tear apart what I've just finished slaving over.  I need a little time and distance, and then -- then I am probably one of the most gracious recipients of criticism anyone will ever encounter. 

So, it's been about two months since I did my last revision of the first chapter of Universal Truths. And I found a crit group online (found it through Miss Snark's blog), and I submitted it.

I got a lot of really good advice.  Some really, really helpful stuff, and I plan on tackling the chapter this weekend and doing the revision I said I wouldn't do.

However.  There is one tiny thing that's annoying the snot out of me:

The first ones to comment on the chapter mentioned the fact that it was too wordy (and it is -- you'll get no argument from me there).  So, I got, like, five critiques that said I needed to tighten things up, and not force the reader's eye, as it were, and cut the unnecessary descriptions.  And it's good advice.  And I'm going to follow it.  That said, the next ten commenters said the exact same thing -- completely reiterating what was said before.  So by the time I got to the end of the comments, my attitude was more like, "Yes, I GET IT.  It's TOO WORDY.  I KNOW. FIND SOMETHING ELSE FOR ME TO FIX PLZ."

I mean, I hate complaining about it after I asked for the critique. And when you ask for a critique, you really shouldn't bitch about it, because... well, you asked for it.  And, really, it's been a positive experience, because the comments are (mostly) very helpful and useful.  But after getting to the 19th comment and being told, yet again, how I need to cut my descriptions...yeah.  I wish they'd tell me something else -- tell me something I don't know, because, trust me, after hearing the same comment over and over and over again, I think I'm going to get the hint.  Maybe.

A couple of the comments had a kind of condescending tone that made me bristle a little, but I was able to get over that.  And a couple of people gave no criticism whatsoever -- they just said they didn't like it and thought it was boring and, oh, by the way, they're probably not in my "target market," so I should take what they say with a grain of salt.  Bzuh?  That's... not even really criticism, constructive or otherwise.  But whatever -- I'm going to overlook the not-helpful stuff, and focus on the helpful stuff.

Even if it's stuff I'm getting told ten and twelve times.

Comments

[rya-kelley.livejournal.com]

Well, maybe the fact that is was "too wordy" was the only thing that people could see wrong?

[w0rdinista.livejournal.com]

I thought that as well -- or that's the most obvious thing I'm doing wrong. I just... I wanted to hear that there was more wrong with it, I guess?

And, yes, I realize how completely messed up that sounds. I do.